Landmark Tort cases

House of Lords establishes neighbour principle and modern negligence law

House of Lords creates strict liability rule for dangerous escapes from land

Court establishes tort for intentionally causing harm through false statements

Rylands v Fletcher requires escape from defendant's land for strict liability

Public authorities may owe duties of care when exercising statutory functions.

Material increase in risk can establish causation in certain circumstances.

Employers liable for banned employee acts if done in course of employment

Landowners liable for natural land movements causing neighbour damage if prevention reasonable.

Duty of care extends to pure economic loss for defective flooring where special relationship exists

Medical negligence requires proof of causation despite multiple potential causes.

House of Lords establishes three-stage test for duty of care in negligence

House of Lords restricts pure economic loss claims in negligence

House of Lords requires foreseeability for nuisance and Rylands v Fletcher liability

Employers must take reasonable care when writing employment references

Solicitors liable to disappointed beneficiaries for negligent will drafting delays

Primary victims can recover for psychiatric injury without physical harm

Employers liable for staff's intentional crimes if closely connected to job

House of Lords restricts Rylands v Fletcher liability to truly exceptional land uses

House of Lords rules employers liable for employee suicide following workplace depression

Fairchild causation applies even with single source exposure to mesothelioma.

Supreme Court limits employer liability for rogue employee data breaches

Employers liable for employees' torts despite express prohibitions if within employment scope.

Material property damage actionable in nuisance without proving unreasonableness.

No prescriptive right to nuisance until it becomes actually actionable

Nuisance liability requires damage beyond that affecting ordinary land use

Mere knowledge of risk does not constitute voluntary assumption of risk (volenti non fit injuria)

Malicious noise-making constitutes actionable nuisance despite otherwise reasonable activity

Psychiatric injury recoverable where claimant fears immediate personal physical danger.

Psychiatric injury recoverable for witnessing or fearing harm to close family members.

Malicious acts against neighbours can constitute nuisance despite being otherwise lawful.

Defamatory words lower estimation of right-thinking people or cause shunning and avoidance.

Defamatory words must lower reputation among right-thinking people, not wrongdoers.

Occupiers liable for continuing third-party nuisances they know about.

Employers vicariously liable for employee's unauthorised but connected acts during employment.

Nervous shock requires foreseeability of harm to person of ordinary fortitude

No vicarious liability when employee acts for unauthorized third party's benefit.

Social utility of conduct affects negligence standard during emergencies.

Contractors must take reasonable care to secure premises against foreseeable crime

Employers must provide extra protection for disabled workers

Hospitals can be directly liable for negligent medical treatment provided within their institutions.

Cricket club not liable for freak accident involving ball hit into street

Employers need not close factories if reasonable safety precautions taken

Standard of care judged by contemporary knowledge not hindsight or later discoveries.

Emergency rescues justify higher risk-taking than normal circumstances.

Bolam establishes professional standard test for medical negligence claims

Toilet trap case establishes contributory negligence applies even to emergency escapes

Industrial activities causing multiple forms of interference can constitute nuisance.

Employer liable for worker's cancer death from minor burn injury

No liability for damage to property already damaged by another tortfeasor.